In the transportation or movement of large containers, such as cartons, trays or the like, it is conventional practice to employ mechanical means such as forklifts for lifting a plurality of the containers at one time. Difficulty has been experienced in the handling of containers in this manner because of the tendency of the containers to separate from each other while being transported. The containers must then be reassembled into a unit thereby causing delays in the process. Various attempts have been made to solve this problem by use of banding means or the like for holding the cartons together but such means are necessarily time consuming to apply and remove, and result in additional expenditure for the banding equipment and labor required to apply the same. Other retaining means have proven only partially satisfactory in retaining the cartons in position and have not, therefore, been universally accepted in use for this purpose.